Policing Solution: Prison Reform
While there are many pressing issues that surround policing, particularly in New York City, perhaps the most complicated issue is that of incarceration in New York State prisons. As we have discussed often in class, inmates face many cruel and inhumane conditions in prison such as solitary confinement and abuse from prison guards and officers. Many convicts are arrested for minor crimes and are unfairly sentenced and sometimes held too long in prisons, while others serve their sentences, but have no help or rehabilitation during their time in jail and cannot manage to assimilate into normal society once released.
As Brenden Beck said in his lecture, there are many points during a prisoner’s sentence where reform and social innovation can help improve or eliminate incarceration. Through his campaign Milk Not Jails, Beck tries to solve incarceration by providing an “economic alternative to the prison industry” (Beck 1). Therefore, instead of relying on prisons as their main source of work, communities in Upstate New York can turn to dairy farming. While this idea is an excellent alternative to prison, it may take a very long time for programs like Milk Not Jails to successfully close down a number of prisons in New York State and around the country, especially with opposition from farmers and prison workers in the surrounding rural communities.
Therefore I would suggest that a faster way of creating social change in the prison system, for the time being, would be by improving the current state of prisons. The best way to do this is by creating programs that offer therapy, rehabilitation and counseling for inmates in prison. This would help prisoners cope with their sentences as well as provide them with the tools necessary to resume ordinary life after prison and successfully find work.
According to the American Psychological Association providing effective prison therapy will not only improve the lives of inmates after leaving jail, but “also helps with prison safety” (APA 1) providing services like “crises interventions” (1) for prisoners who commit or are victims of violence in prison. Many such programs have been found effective throughout the United States. In California for example, The Honor Program was created in 2000 and was founded to teach prisoners “principles of incentivizing positive behavior” allowing them to take advantage of “specific self-improvement and rehabilitative goals and projects which benefit the community” (Rushfan 1). By treating prisoners as humans who have made mistakes, rather than dangerous criminals, The Honor Program proves to be a success, in terms of safety and finance. In its first year alone the Honor Program led to an “88% decrease in incidents involving weapons” and an 85% decrease in violent incidents overall in California state prisons” (1). Furthermore the program saved the state up to $200,000 per year on costs of extra security due to violent outbreaks (2).
Thus, while the prison system ultimately is in need of alternative solutions, I believe the best way to solve the many issues it presents is by transforming it from a place of danger and punishment to a place where one can be rehabilitated and changed for the better.
Sources Cited
http://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2012/02/op-ed-new-york-should-make-milk-not-prisons/
http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/helping.aspx
http://listverse.com/2008/08/14/top-10-modern-prison-programs/
This solution stood out to me because while we addressed very similar problems in policing, our solutions varied. I focused on the problem of solitary confinement. From what I read, many of the people who are put in solitary are in dire need of rehabilitation, and isolation only worsens their condition. This makes their reintegration into society even more difficult, and in some cases nearly impossible, much like what you wrote about. In my solutions, I spoke mostly about legislation that would create programs, such as rehab and therapy, as an alternative for isolation. I proposed that troublesome inmates be sent to a professional that can attempt to rehabilitate them, instead of instantly punishing the smallest offense with an exuberant amount of time in solitary confinement. An incentivized program, however, such as the “Honor Program” that you mentioned, could serve as a preventative measure. While it is important to reform the way troublesome inmates are handled, I think it is equally as important, if not more to reduce the violent and disruptive crimes that generally land prisoners in solitary confinement. I think a combination of our solutions would be a step in the right direction to creating social change within the prison system.
Your solution to prison refinement is a great way to start paving the path for rehabilitation. The one aspect about your solution that stood out was its concept of treating prisoners like humans who made mistakes, not terrible monsters. That is a concept of the prison system in America, people are sent there to face punishment and vengeance, not necessarily rehabilitate. It seems odd though, that someone who stole money at one time could be placed in the same location with someone who’s been a serial killer. Some crimes are much hasher than others, and deserve a much harsher punishment. But just as some deserve a harsher sentence, since they seem to be beyond rehabilitation, so do people who made mistakes and are seeking active change. One of the biggest issues of people who face prison sentences is seeking employment after serving their time. Perhaps a program geared to assuring opportunities outside of prison would also be an area for improvement. There’s also been instances where prisoners are treated like human, and respond in a much kinder way. For example, some prisoners were given cats to take care of, and not only did they become protective, but loving, of their pets. Actions like that, no matter how small, would help prisoners, and the population realize, that they are just human, and deserve a second chance like everyone else. http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/cats-bringing-out-the-soft-side-of-inmates/